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| Inspiring Guggenheim spiral |
His Captainship had been summonsed to a meeting of like-minded blokes, so GS was free….free to wander museums and galleries. First stop, the Guggenheim, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece. Inside was a fabulous display - a Kandinsky retrospective featuring almost 100 of his colourful and energetic canvases. Kandinsky’s works had been Wright’s inspiration for the design of the building some 50 years ago. It is hard to believe that these modern works were dated between 1896 and 1944. I could have stayed for a week but hurried on not wanting to miss the Met.
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| Dizzy Heights |
Just a little further down 5th Ave is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A vast Gothic structure built in 1874, the Met is credited with being one of the world’s largest art galleries. It was into this vast space that I wandered; with little time and without a plan of action. After meandering through the sizable Egyptian section, it slowly dawned on me that this was not a display of collected objects. Everything, including architectural pieces was real. Overcome, I negotiated my way to the busy café and whilst sipping coffee came up with a plan. Guided tours had been advertised at the main entrance. Albeit that would only cover a fraction of fraction of the exhibits, but at least I would understand what I saw.
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| A Very Grand & busy Met |
At exactly 2.15pm our guide expertly led us on a tour of royal furniture and stately European rooms 17th & 18th C. I busily admired furniture, fittings, paintings, carpets, textiles and decorative bric-a-brac. “This is Marie Antoinette’s desk”, said his Guideship. “Fabulous job of the room”, I said. “Who does the set designs? They must spend a lot of time researching to get it looking so real.” “It is real”, he said. Gassssssp! Apparently some “rooms” came to the US by way of wealthy New Yorkers who imported them into their apartments. Later, they donated them to the Met. Oh, to have an unfashionable drawing room once used by Louis XIV! After the tour, I managed to find my way over to the American Wing, recently refurbished to include several period rooms. Best of all, I could stand in a Frank Lloyd Wright room seeing it as if he had “just stepped out for a moment”.
I have vowed to come back......
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| Great Design everywhere you look |
